Judge Resigns in Conduct Probe

A New York judge has resigned in the wake of allegations that he intervened with police on behalf of his girlfriend and tried to get authorities to investigate her estranged husband.

Justice Lawrence Horowitz signed a stipulation saying he was unable to defend against disciplinary charges and would not serve as a judge again, the New York Law Journal reports.

The New York Commission on Judicial Conduct said in its order yesterday that it has closed the matter.

The commission had claimed that Horowitz contacted police after his girlfriend was arrested for speeding and found that the car she was driving had been listed as stolen. The woman’s estranged husband had made the stolen vehicle report.

The commission said Horowitz called the police station and spoke to a police officer he knew, telling him that the woman was his friend and assuring that she would respond to any traffic summonses. The woman was not charged with a crime and released. Later, he contacted police and prosecutors, identified himself as a judge, and urged an investigation of the estranged husband, the commission says.

The commission also says Horowitz used court stationery at least 38 times over 15 months for personal matters, the Associated Press reports.

Horowitz’s lawyer, Deborah Scalise, told AP that the judge’s actions were “an anomaly, were not undertaken for personal or financial gain, and were unrelated to matters he presided over.”